HS2 Update, Hampton in Arden to Kenilworth, April 2020

High Speed Two (HS2) is the new high speed railway for Britain. This update provides information about upcoming work on HS2 in your area.

Work over the coming HS2 and the COVID-19 months outbreak

Preparations for main We are continually reviewing the construction work on HS2 are works on our construction sites in line now well underway. Over the with Government and Public Health coming months we will be England (PHE) advice on dealing with continuing our work, including COVID-19. The Government’s current the creation of new wildlife strategy makes it clear that habitats, site clearance, widening construction activity can continue as roads, building roundabouts, long as it complies with this guidance. compound construction, and Please be assured that only sites that ground investigations. We will can operate within the guidelines are still working, and they will remain also be constructing a haul road under constant review. and building a temporary greenway near Burton Green. Our commitment We have postponed all face-to-face engagement events and meetings, to you Across this part of the Phase One and have put in place a number of route these enabling works are Keep all sites safe and channels to communicate with secure. being delivered by LM - a joint communities, such as letters and venture between Laing O’Rourke phone calls, as well as updates and Keep disruption to a and J. Murphy & Sons. alerts from each of the local minimum. community websites. The main construction work will be carried out in future by BBV - a Inform you of any works You can still sign up for updates in joint venture between Balfour that may impact you. your local area at Beatty and Vinci. hs2inwarwickshire.co.uk and Answer your questions hs2insolihull.co.uk. via the 24/7 HS2 helpdesk. HS2 works during the next few months This information describes works that we are carrying out near you during spring and summer 2020. Ecological work In some areas, this will include the removal of some trees at a small number of ancient woodlands. This will Over the past few years, we have been creating a be followed by the translocation of the existing ancient series of new wildlife habitats in Warwickshire and woodland soils to new woodland sites nearby. This will Solihull. involve a specific and careful process designed to maintain the valuable biodiversity that currently exists In order to construct these ‘ecological mitigation in the soils. Once translocated, each site will be sites’, we have been conducting comprehensive carefully monitored and managed over the next fifty surveys of local ecology to identify wildlife and years to encourage the regeneration of the woodland. protected species, with a view to designing our sites around their needs. Crucially, the new woodlands will be part of an unprecedented ‘green corridor’ of new wildlife habitats Across the Greater West Midlands, so far we have and woodlands alongside the railway, including 7 completed over 7,500 surveys, with a further 8,000 million new trees and shrubs between London and surveys planned for 2020. the West Midlands.

We have created a number of new habitats, made up We understand that the community has strong of 77,000 newly planted trees, 40 ponds and multiple feelings about this work. Please be assured that we acres of wetland, heathland and meadow. will continue to work within the necessary regulations, including licences from Natural England. In In addition to this work, you may have seen our accordance with the law, qualified ecologists will be on contractors constructing fencing and removing some site to ensure wildlife species are protected, including existing vegetation near you. This is required to checking and monitoring the area for nesting birds, prepare the route of the railway for future and taking action to safeguard them from any of our construction activity. works.

Ecological mitigation site created at Burton Green

Call our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 Main compound development

The main works contractor for this area, BBV, will Please see the map below for more information. work from a number of different sized compounds while constructing the new railway. The As part of constructing these compounds, we will erect construction of some of these compounds is hoardings or fences around each site for safety and already underway at a number of locations and security. There will be some vehicle movements as we will take approximately eight months to complete, transport equipment, machinery and welfare facilities subject to site and weather conditions. onto site.

These compounds will be used as bases for our On occasions we will have to work on underground or staff and equipment as we construct HS2. Each site overhead utilities in the areas around the compounds will have office space, welfare facilities and storage to connect them to power, water and other utilities. This areas. Compounds will not be used for may involve some impact on local roads that we will tell accommodation by workers during the you about beforehand. construction of HS2. We will provide more information about the compound Our main compounds will be located at: operations in future editions later this year. • Welsh Road, Long Itchington •Fosse Way • Stoneleigh (between the A46 and B4115) • Park Lane in Balsall Common

Contains Ordnance Survey data ©Crown copyright and database right 2017

Call our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 Test piling near Hampton-in- Arden BBV will also be carrying out test piling near Hampton-in-Arden, beginning in late spring 2020. The test piling will begin with preparatory works to set up the site, including site clearance and widening the access point of the A452 and Diddington Lane.

These works will enable us to understand what the ground conditions are like in this area. Once we have completed these works we will use the results to inform our detailed design for the railway in this area, ensuring it is being constructed in the safest and most effective way.

Contains Ordnance Survey data ©Crown copyright and database right 2017

Haul roads construction Along the route of HS2 we are constructing a number of temporary roads dedicated to HS2 construction traffic. Known as a ‘haul road’, this route will take our works vehicles away from public highways to reduce our impact on local roads during construction.

The construction of haul roads has already started. In your area you can see this work between Berkswell and the A429 Coventry Road/Kenilworth Road near Crackley. As we progress towards main construction work later this year we will be constructing more of the haul roads.

If any of the works to build the haul roads result in temporary disruption to the local road network we will notify communities in advance through a range of methods, including putting up road signs in the Image of construction worker area, and putting information on your community website.

Call our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 Major traffic works in your area

As we undertake our works we may need to impact regular traffic routes across Warwickshire and Solihull. We intend to minimise our impact as much as possible, working efficiently and taking any traffic management off local routes as soon as possible.

In the next few months, we are working on the A452 Kenilworth Road in Balsall Common to create a new roundabout at the junction of Park Lane. We will also be working on the A452 Kenilworth Road at the junction of the B4115 in Ashow, known as ‘Chesford Junction’. Our work in this location will widen the local roads to create safer access onto our work sites and reduce the long term impact on local traffic.

Our work on the A429 Coventry Road/Kenilworth Road will continue in Crackley to finish utility works, widen the road and create new accesses and turning points.

Public rights of way Some elements of our work will sometimes result in temporary changes to public rights of way including footpaths, bridleways and cycleways.

To help minimise these impacts, we will put diversions in place where it is possible and safe to do so, and install signs to notify users of any changes to these routes.

We recently published a collection of upcoming public rights of way impacts between Burton Green and Southam. Please visit your local community website for more information.

Call our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 Burton Green tunnel and For the permanent Greenway route, we are using HS2’s Landscape Design Approach principles to temporary Kenilworth Greenway guide our design. We will build a ‘green tunnel’ near Burton Green, with one entrance near Broadwell Oaks and the This is focused on: other by the Burton Green Village Hall and National Grid sub-station. • Conserving the remaining sections of the Kenilworth Greenway where possible to ensure environmental and historical connectivity; As the tunnel closely aligns with the current Kenilworth Greenway corridor, we have developed • Enhancing the environmental features of the proposals for both its temporary and permanent realigned Greenway, notably in the protection and route. enhancement of ancient woodlands; • Restoring the character the of Greenway so that We have worked closely with local stakeholders to in time it re-establishes its linear tree lined ensure the temporary diversion of the Kenilworth characteristics; and Greenway best suits the needs of local people. • Transforming the usage of the Greenway by Thank you for your input so far. We are looking to providing enhanced connectivity for users and local finalise our design soon, ahead of construction wildlife. later this year.

Artist impression of the Kenilworth Greenway after construction

Call our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 Our Community and Business Funds HS2 offers two funds that are available to local communities and businesses in Birmingham and the West Midlands, to help with the disruption caused by our construction work. These are the Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and the Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF). The CEF is designed to give communities the opportunity to share in the benefits of HS2. It is an allocated fund that communities are able to apply for, to help to support local projects that aim to improve their local area. Over £5m has already been awarded to projects along the route, including a number in your area. This ranges from helping to repair the roof at Berkswell & District Royal British Legion Social Club to supporting the West Midlands Ringing Group to monitor bird species activity at Marsh Lane Nature Reserve. The BLEF is designed to support local economies that may be disrupted by the construction of HS2. BLEF grants are for local business support organisations and local authorities to help maintain business activity in local communities. For more information about each of these funds, including how to apply, please visit: www.groundwork.org.uk/hs2funds

Our community websites The planning and construction of HS2 is a huge operation – it is currently the largest infrastructure project in Europe. It’s important to us that you are kept up to date about the progress of the Project and any work that may impact you or your community. We have a series of community-focused websites where you can find out what is happening in your local area and sign up for updates about our activities. Our sites currently serve Birmingham, Bucks and Oxfordshire, Cheshire, Euston and Camden, Hertfordshire, Hillingdon, Northamptonshire, Old Oak, Solihull, Staffordshire and Warwickshire. More sites are being prepared to serve other areas. To find your local community website, visit: hs2inwarwickshire.co.uk or hs2insolihull.co.uk

For further information about Phase 2a and Phase 2b, visit: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/high-speed-two-limited

Call our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 Keeping you informed We are committed to keeping you informed about work on HS2. This includes ensuring you know what to expect and when to expect it, as well as how we can help. Residents’ Charter and Commissioner The Residents’ Charter is our promise to Contact Us communicate as clearly as we possibly can with people who live along or near the HS2 route. If you have any questions about this www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2- newsletter, please get in touch. residents-charter We also have an independent Residents’ 24/7 Freephone 08081 434 434 Commissioner whose job is to make sure we Minicom 08081 456 472 keep to the promises we make in the Charter Email [email protected] and to keep it under constant review. Find reports at: Write to: www.gov.uk/government/collections/hs2-ltd- FREEPOST residents-commissioner HS2 Community Engagement You can contact the Commissioner at: [email protected] Website www.hs2.org.uk

Construction Commissioner To keep up to date with what is happening The Construction Commissioner’s role is to in your local area, visit: mediate and monitor the way in which HS2 Ltd hs2inwarwickshire.co.uk or hs2insolihull.co.uk manages and responds to construction complaints. You can contact the Construction Commissioner by emailing: [email protected] Please contact us if you’d like a free copy of this document in large print, Braille, Property and compensation audio or easy read. You can also contact You can find out all about HS2 and properties us for help and information in a different along the line of route by visiting: language.

www.gov.uk/government/collections/hs2- HS2 Ltd is committed to protecting personal property information. If you wish to know more about how we Find out if you’re eligible for compensation at: use your personal information please see our Privacy www.gov.uk/claim-compensation-if-affected-by- Notice hs2 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high- speed-two-ltd-privacy-notice Holding us to account If you are unhappy for any reason you can make a complaint via the helpline. For more details on our complaints process, please visit our website: www.hs2.org.uk/how-to-complain

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